Isn't Drexel provisionally accredited? It is supposedly doing pretty well for a new school. Provisional accreditation and going to a newer school does have drawbacks but I do not know if it is just a blanket rejection to ignore the school without further investigation of its accreditation process. Just my two cents based on what I know about a school like Drexel.

I received my financial aid award letter from Temple the other day and was surprised at how little they are helping out given my EFC was 0. I was honestly hoping for significantly more grant money. My numbers do not really put me in line for a merit based scholarship since my LSAT is around their 25% level of their class but I feel that there may be some extenuating economic circumstances, basically economic background/history in my family that may warrant further need-based consideration.

Is this common or should I just wait to see what other schools say first since I have not received any other financial aid awards yet so maybe I don't have much leverage.

I enjoyed my tour of Temple. The building felt a little like a labyrinth, less windows than other schools but not too bad. The biggest downer of the trip was that I later found out there was a shooting in the subway station a few blocks up Broad Street while I was taking my tour/sitting in on a class.

This is an interesting discussion to me because I am also trying to figure out where would be the best place for me between PSU, Villanova and Temple also. It would probably be Temple hands down if it was in a nicer area but while I was visiting there was a shooting in a subway station 3 blocks away just off campus. I would be commuting via regional rail but even just going to and from the station makes me a little weary.

I doubt I will be looking for big law opportunities more of a clerkship, state/federal job kind of path for me as of right now. How do you think Villanova and Temple play for those types of jobs in the Philly area as well as Dickinson?

Haha I am attending a school north of Penn State so I understand the cold and am used to it. The law school building apparently used to be a dorm? at least thats what they were telling me when I visited it, but the new building will be open for the 2nd semester next year so I'm not too worried about that. Although it might be a little too tempting of a school to goto with all the undergrad happenings going on around there...

I would say right now I'm leaning towards Penn State but all four are still possibilities. I'm anxious to see what kind of financial aid package I receive from the other three schools as that may clear up my options a bit better.

I was accepted to University Park for Penn State but I am told transferring between campuses is fairly easy.

I think in the end I would prefer going to a "name" school in the sense that I don't have to explain where my school is, most people will actually recognize it both in the region and mostly nationally as well. That is something I did really have with my undergrad which was annoying to explain to everyone.

I would say right now I'm leaning towards Penn State but all four are still possibilities. I'm anxious to see what kind of financial aid package I receive from the other three schools as that may clear up my options a bit better.

I was accepted to University Park for Penn State but I am told transferring between campuses is fairly easy.

I think in the end I would prefer going to a "name" school in the sense that I don't have to explain where my school is, most people will actually recognize it both in the region and mostly nationally as well. That is something I did really have with my undergrad which was annoying to explain to everyone.

Right, it definitely is tempting to have little to no law school debt. Widener actually appears to have a fairly good local reputation in the Philly, Delaware and then Harrisburg areas from what I've heard anecdotally. However they actually have a hard C curve and I need to maintain a 3.0 average or better to hold the scholarship money. Penn State basically has no string attached to most of the scholarship money they are offering me.

I am a bit wary of Widener but I am also wary of taking on any debt in the purportedly bad legal job market.